The development of this invention arose from continuing efforts to improve a collapsible wheeled carrier as shown and described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 764,414, filed Aug. 12, 1985, which is hereby incorporated into this disclosure by reference. While the referenced product is collapsible for storage purposes, the features of the present invention are not limited to collapsible carts and can be equally useful when applied to any wheeled material carrier desired to be convertible for use as either a hand cart or a vehicular trailer.
To provide ready convertibility in a wheeled carrier, it is necessary to provide a transverse handle for manual grasping of the carrier by one pulling or pushing it as a hand cart, as well as rigid supports for holding it in a level condition when not being used. It is also important to provide a readily detachable hitch or hitches for attachment to a selected vehicle, such as a bicycle, motorcycle, automobile, or small garden tractor. The present improvements arose from an effort to provide these convertible features at minimal cost by using one pair of receiving sockets on the wheeled material carrier for the external attachments required by its alternate uses. It also makes possible the reconfiguration of the wheeled material carrier without any tools or mechanical experience being required.